Concrete stave making machine



y June 9, 1931. A. H. NELSON CONCRETE STAVE MAKING-MACHINE 4 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 14, 1927 N MM RN INVENTOR x54 NELSON ATTORNEYS June 9, 1931. A. H. NELSON CONCRETE STAVE MAKING MACHINE.

Filed Dec. 14, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 4x54 fl. A/szsmv BY ATTORNEYS.

June 9 1931.

A. H. NELSON CONCRETE S'IAVE MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 14, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Q N MQN INVENTOR H. IVEL s o/v V6. ATTORNEYS.

June 9, 1931. A; H. NELSON CONCRETE STAVE MAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 14

!NVENTOR Are; 1 A/ELswv ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES-1 PATENT OFFICE AXEL H. NELSON, OI" TURLOCK, CALIFORNIA CONCRETE STAVE MAKING MACHINE Application fi1ed December 14, 1927. Serial No. 239,992.

An object of my invention is to provide a concrete stave making machine which is adapted to mold concrete into staves which after setting can be used in much the same manner as building blocks in forming the walls of a house, silo, and the like. The particular size of the blocks may differ with the different types of building but I have found that a block approximately 30 long and iO wide will function the best in forming the walls of a building.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described which is F relatively simple in construction for the numf ber of operations it performs in forming a concrete stave. *The forms may be changed for making a stave having a curved surface or having a flat surface.

Heretofore it has been difiicult to form stavesof the dimensions set forth above, be-

cause it was hard to tamp the concrete for forming a solid mass which would set properly. I have overcome this disadvantage by providing a form that can be moved into vertical position so that the tamping can be done from one end of the form and which can then plication, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, portions'thereof being shown in section;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the machine;

Figures 3 and 4 are views of the operating mechanism showing it in two different posi- 't1ons; i

Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a section along the line 66 of Figure l; a

Figure 7 is an enlarged plan View of a portion of the device; and

Figures 8 and 9 are perspective views of two types of staves formed by the machine.

In carrying out my invention I will first describe the'construction ofthe form, then the mechanism for operating the form, and

then the means for conveying the complete stave away from the machine.

The construction of the form is best shown in Figures 1, 5, 6, and 7. It will be noted that. this form is composed of a pallet board 1, see Figure 7, that is of alength and width sulficient to support the stave and to cover one i of the larger faces thereof. The form board 2 is spaced from the pallet 1 and provides a recess 3 for receiving the concrete. I am assuming that the pallet 1 is in vertical position, which is the position assumed during the initial operation of the machine. The sides of the form consist of dies 4 and 5, these dies being female and male, respectively.

The dies extend the entire length of the stave, and are supported by brackets 6, which in turn are carried by small semi-circular discs 7.

Figure 7 further shows how the discs'are mounted upon rods 8, which in turn are carried by arms 9. The arms 9 are pivotally secured at 10 to reinforcing bars 11 that extend along the back of the form board 2.

The arms 9 have their free ends pivotally connected at 12 to links 13, which in turn'eX tendfrom the arms 9 to a sleeve 1% slidably mounted upon a shaft 15. It will be noted from the construction thus far that a movement of the sleeve 14: upon the shaft 15 will swing the arms 9 intothe dotted line position and will move the dies 4 and 5 away from the 9 formfor releasing the complete stave.-

In case the adjacent surfaces of the pallet 1 and form board 2 are fiat instead of curved,

the dies 4 and 5 are swung about the pivots 8 in order to cause these dies to extend at right-angles with respect to the surfaces 16.. The'means for adjusting the dies comprises setscrews 17, see Figure 7, which are threaded Reference to Figure 6 shows how the form. board 2 is held in place, the reinforcingbars 1 straddle bolts 19. which in turn are :crewed into the board 2. There are two sets of reinforcing bars 11 and these hai's'are spaced from each other by spacers 20, the

spacers being of the shape shown in Figure so as to bear against the form board .2 and act as stops for limiting the movement of the board 2 toward the bars 11.

The entire form is mounted upon a shaft 21, the shaft in turn being journal led in bearings and carried by sides 23 of the frame of the machine. The sides 23 are relatively long, as shown in Figure 1. and are supported by legs 24. The shaft 21 is rotatably mounted in the bearings 22 for a purposehereinafter described. It should be noted that the board 2, pallet 1. and dies 4 and 5 are moved as a unit about the shaft 21. V

The means for closing the bottom of the form is shown in Figures 1 and 6. andit. will.

e noted from these figures that a form plate 25 is held in placeby a clamp 26 that-issecured to the board 2 by a bolt 27. In addi tion to the bolt 27., the plate 25 is secured to the board2 by bolts 28, see Figure 6. The

clamp 26 not only aids in supporting the form. plate 25 but extends beneath the pallet 1' and supports this with respect to-the other parts of the form.

The novel means for locking the pallet temporarily to the form is clearly shown in Figures 5 and 7. It has already been stated that the pallet is supported by the clamp 26;

The arms 9 consist of pairs that is, each side of the form has two arms: consisting of av ingle piece bent back upon itself at the-pivot point 12, see Figurel. The arms are pivotally secured to the bars 11 as stated, and Lextend beyond the pallet 1 and carry links 29..

Figure 1 and Figure 5 show how these links are pivotally mounted at 30 on the ends of the arms 9, so that they may swing .in a counterclockwise direction when looking at Figure 5, and they also pivot about bolts 31; Thisgives a universal connection between the arms -'9 and the links 29. The links 29 are carried by one pair of arms 9 and are removably con nected to a pair of hook-shaped members 32. see Figure 7. There are two hook-shaped members one for each link. and they prevent he outward swinging of the links awayfrom the pallet 1. Figure 5 shows how the ends of the links are twisted as at 33 for slidably contacting with the upper surfaces of the arms 9 and for engaging with the hooks The hooks 32- are connected to each other at 34 in much the same manner as the pairs of arms are connected to each other. The hooks are pivoted to the bar 11 by the bolt 10, that also pivotally connects the arms 9 to the bar. I have shown the pallet board as being reinforced by battens 35, and have further shown the pallet board as being provided with U-shaped members 36 for receiving the links 29, see Figure 5. Bolts 3'7 may be passed through aligned openings in the U- shaped brackets 36 and links 29 for securing these parts together.

The entire form is now rocked about the shaft 121 as a pivot. This is accomplished by grasping the arms 9 and swinging them from the position shown in Figure linto the position shownin Figure Prior tolthis movement, however, a carrier 43 is moved along the guide-rails 44, see Figure 1,.until it is positioned at a point where-the pallet 1 will rest upon the carrier when the form is swung into substantially horizontal position, as shown in Figure 3. The cleats or battens .35 ofthe pallet 1 rest upon cross-members 45 of the carrier 43.

'It will be notedfrom Figures 3 and 4, also 3 7 that the shaft 21 has a lever 46 rigidly secured thereto. This lever is for the purpose of freeing the dies 4 and 5 and the form board 2 from the caststave. The first movement of the *lever from the position shown in Figure 3 into the position shown in Figure 4 will rock the shaft 21 without rocking the form,

since the form is rotatably mounted on the shaft. The rocking of the shaft swings an arm 47, see Figures 3 and 7 that moves the links 48, which in turn slide the sleeve 14 on the shaft orv rod 1 5. .As already explained,

- this movement frees the dies 4 and 5 from the form.

It will also be noted that the shaft 21 carries a cam 48, see Figures 3 and 4, this cam engages with the side members 23 of the] the hooks 32. The. links will, drop into the out-of-the-way positions as indicated in Figure 4, and are again swung into operative position when the form has been swung into vertical postion and a new pallet has been substituted for the one now supporting the complete slab or stave. The concrete is solid enough to keep its shape, even though only supported by the pallets 1. The pallets are re: moved from the carrier 43 one by one and are stacked in piles so as to give the staves a chance to set and harden. The cleats or battens 35 space the pallets a sufiicient distance apart to provide room between adjacent pallets for the staves. If desired a flexible chain 49 may be used for limiting the swinging of -the form from the vertical position into the substantially horizontal position. The complete stave is shown in Figures 8 and 9, Figure 8 showing a fiat stave 50 having grooves 51 in three of its walls, while Figure 9 shows a curved stave 52 having a groove 53 in one wall and a projection 54 in the opposite wall.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood.

The hopper 38 is first filled with concrete,

and then this is poured into the form while the form is in vertical position. The concrete is now tamped. The carrier 43 is moved into a postion to receive the palletl and the entire form is swung around the shaft 21 so as to position the pallet on the carrier. The lever 46 is now actuated and releases the form from the pallet. The form may now be swung into vertical position again and the pallet removed from the carrier and placed to one side to permit the concrete to set. In Figures 3 and 4 I show guide-strips 55 carried by the cross-piece 45 for swinging the links 29 free of the carrier when the carrier '.s moved with respect to the form.

In Figure 7 I show the form board 2 as having a plate 2 secured to the front thereof by screws 3 or other suitable fastening means. The plate has a convex outer surface and is used when the pallet 1 having a concave inner surface is used. When the operator desires to make a flat stave, the plate 2 is removed and the pallet I having a flat surface is substituted for the type of pallet shown in the figure. The changing of the plate 2 obviates the necessity of changing the entire form board 2.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a portable machine that can be taken from place to place readily. The machine is transported to the locality where the house, silo, or other building, is to be erected, and the staves are made at this locality. The staves do not have to be transorted any distance as is the case with certain types of machines, when the machine oftentimes is in one locality and the building to be erected is in another entirely difierent locality.

Although I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of various changes and I reserve the right to employ such changes as may come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A concrete stave-making machine comprising a collapsible form, means for holding said form in a vertical position, the top end of said form being open for receiving the self-hardening mixture whereby the mixture may be tamped in the form while being poured thereinto.

2. A concrete stave-making machine comprising a support for contacting with the side of the stave to be formed, removable sides carried by said support, a bottom, a removable pallet board for forming the support for the other side, the three sides, bottom and pallet board constituting a form with an open end, means for swinging the form for positioning the open end at the top, said means being swingable for disposing the pallet board beneath the block, and means for releasing the pallet board from the other three sides and the bottom.

3. A concrete stave-making machine comprising a support for contacting with the side of the stave to be formed, removable sides carried by said support, a bottom, a removable pallet board for forming the support for the other side, the three sides, bottom and pallet board constituting a form with an open end, and means for swinging the form for positioning the open end at the top, said means being swingable for disposing the pallet board beneath the block.

4:. A concrete stave-making machine comprising a support for contacting with the side of the stave to be formed, removable sides carried by said support, a bottom, a removable pallet board for forming the support for the other side, the three sides, bottom and pallet board constituting a form with an open end, and means for swinging the form for positioning the open end at the top.

5. A concrete stave-making machine comprising a collapsible form having removable sides and an open top, means for swinging the form for positioning the open end at the top, one of said sides constituting a pallet board, said means being swingable for disposing said pallet board beneath the block.

AXEL H. NELSON. 

